One of Australia’s biggest music festivals, Splendour in the Grass, has taken a stand against the disgusting sexist campervans that run on Australian roads.
writes, “if you’re booking a campervan, please steer clear of sexist slogans! You know who you are. It's 2016, get with the program!!”
Many people have hailed the music festival a hero for taking on the exploitative industry that uses campervans as a platform to display sexist remarks publicly across Australia.
Paula Orbea, A spokesperson for , says the music festival took a stand after a follower of the group Kate Neale contacted them about it.
“I think it’s fantastic that Splendour took this stand after being contacted by [Kate]. It was her initiative,” Orbea says. “Yes, they are referring to Wicked."
Although happy about the stand, Orbea says it will have absolutely no effect on Wicked Campers altering their slogans.
“In fact I think they said their vans are booked up for that weekend,” she says.
Orbea believes the only way vans with certain slogans will be stopped is with a change in legislation, council bylaws, or censorship rulings. All of which she is working on with a friend and the women at .
“It’s been a frustrating 20 months,” she says.
Anna McCormack from Wicked Pickets says that while Splendour’s request may not affect Wicked Campers, it could inspire other festivals and events to jump on board.
“Once other companies such as caravan parks, backpacker hostels, the YHA, other music festivals etcetera make similar stands protesting the Wicked Campers’ incitements to violence against women and girls, it will bite. And State governments, in particular, may grow backbones too,” she says.
Orbea highlights that it’s important to eliminate certain slogans because they perpetuate a toxic perspective that more often than not target women and girls.
“Wicked Campers is a business that writes slogans that are not afforded - by law - to be exhibited by any other platform. They are getting through because of loopholes in the law,” she says.
Whether it makes a difference or not, Splendour’s comments about sexist vans has caused traction in the media and shed light on how awful sexism on campervans can be.
SBS attempted to contact Wicked Campers, but were directed to an email address and have not received a comment from them yet. Wicked Campers’ in July 2014 and says, "We don’t try to be controversial. It’s not our goal. We just do what we love and just have fun."
